"What's with the nerves, Banner?" you smiled, leaning towards Bruce and resting your head on his shoulder as he sat next to you on the quinjet. He only shrugged and murmured some sort of half-convincing answer, shaking his head before leaning it over to rest on yours. "Hey, seriously, what's going on?"

"I just don't feel up to seeing the Other Guy today, I suppose. I haven't needed to in a while, and guess I was hoping to keep it that way a little longer."

"You want me to talk to Cap?"

"No," he quickly retorted, sitting up straight again, "no, please don't. The last thing I need is for my girlfriend to fight my battles. Tony would never let that die, I guarantee it."

"I'm not fighting your battles, Bruce. I'm merely offering to help," you sighed, sitting up in kind and pulling your gloves on to gather your battle gear when Clint called out the alert for landing. "What good is it to have Steve as a best friend if I can't get a few favors out of the guy, am I right?"

Bruce turned to you with a look of surprise and feigned hurt, slapping his hand to his chest in shock, "I'm not your best friend? Oh, the pain...it's too much..."

"Oh, shut it," you smirked, "you're my best everything else."

~~~

No matter how long you and Bruce had been together, and no matter how many missions had come and gone, you would never get used to seeing the transformation into the Hulk, and the pain in his eyes with each one. It was a pain that stayed with him even as that other persona, only becoming more apparent each time he was near you; Bruce's fear of hurting anyone was well-known and something that he struggled to hold on to when he was the Hulk, but the fear of hurting you superseded the rest.

"Status," Steve called out to the group as the action began to die down.

"I'm heading to the jet to fire it up," Clint replied. "We should be good to go here."

"Starving and ready to blow this popsicle stand, Cap...sicle."

"Tony, I swear you're at the top of your game," you chuckled. "You're so punny."

"I could teach you a thing or two, sweetheart."

"No, please don't," Steve sighed, "one of you is about all I can-"

"Hey, guys," Natasha broke in, "I need a little help on the north ridge. The lullaby isn't working."

"I'm on it," you called back, breaking into a sprint. "Nat, what's your read on his mood?"

"Um...Hulk smash?"

"Well, yeah, but I was kinda asking if he was trying to smash you in particular."

"Not yet," she grunted, dropping to a knee to avoid a tree flying just over her head. "But I'm having to duck an awful lot, if you get my meaning."

"I'm right behind you, kiddo," Tony called out, swinging an arm around your waist and lifting you to him as he flew up next to you and continued towards the ridge. "Steve's moving in from the other side and Clint's in the air if we need him."

"For what? To shoot him down? You know that doesn't work."

"No, of course not," he scoffed. "It's to get you guys the hell outta here if I have to call in Veronica."

"I'm not gonna let that happen, Tony," you argued. "Guys, listen, when I get there I want everyone to fall back. Tony's going to drop me off and I want you all to clear the area. Leave him to me, do you copy?"

"No way," Steve replied immediately, "if the lullaby isn't working, I don't have a guarantee that you'll be safe, even if it is Bruce in there. (Y/N), I'm not leaving you alone."

You pulled the comm from your ear and tossed it to the ground, refusing to listen to him. Sometimes being friends with Steve wasn't all it was cracked up to be, and he was clearly already in his over-protective mode. "Tony, get me there before Cap. I want you to take Nat away and stall him for me."

"You sure?"

"He's not going to hurt me."

"Fine." He came down to the ground with a firm slam of his feet, jostling you but not enough to lose his grip, gently setting you down in a striking contrast to the harsh landing. The Hulk was ripping trees from the ground and throwing them at his feet, crushing them into splinters with each stomp. When he heard Tony land, he spun around and froze at the sight of you, a look of momentary confusion crossing his expression. "Five minutes," Tony warned before taking to the air with a reluctant Nat now in his arms, "no more. Then it's my turn."

"Hey, Big Green," you began, slowly walking towards him with your hands raised and a gentle smile on your face, "I heard you're not ready to take a break from the action yet, huh?" You saw a slight twitch in the muscles of his arms and his hands begin to clench, so you stopped abruptly. "But I think you're running out of trees."

The Hulk looked around at the destruction he had caused and his posture relaxed slightly; you weren't certain, but you swore you saw the hint of a pout in his lower lip. "Sorry," he growled, looking back at you. "(Y/N)."

You took the use of your name as a sign that you would be able to make this work, again taking a few steps closer. "Could we maybe call it a day? We won, so I think it's time to head back home."

"(Y/N)," he said again, but this time his voice was uncharacteristically quiet; almost meek, if the Hulk were capable of it, "scared?"

"No," you replied emphatically, "no, Big Guy, I'm never scared to be by you. You know that, right? I'm your friend."

Hulk slowly lowered himself to the ground and onto his knees in front of you, leaning back on his heels and stretching his hand out to you to take. He watched you carefully come closer and reciprocate, gently touching his hand with a slight recoil at first, but your initial reluctance faded and you slid your fingers over his.

"For you." His other hand opened slowly and very carefully as to not drop the precious item that was held inside; he pushed forward for you to see a delicate and intricate ring shining in the bright mid-day sun, resting in the palm of his hand for you to take. "Yes?"

"Oh my god," you whispered, turning back at the sound of Tony sniffling behind you, standing with the rest of the team and watching anxiously. "Did you...did you guys know? You set this up?"

"The lullaby always works," Nat winked, nodding for you to turn back around.

You reached forward and took the tiny ring from inside his massive hand and looked at it through your blurry and tear-filled eyes, still disbelieving that Bruce would allow his alter ego to do this for him. A sudden overwhelming sense of sadness washed over you, realizing that this was his way of making sure that you accepted him; that you accepted both Bruce and the Hulk, and that you did so without fear or regret in your choice.

"Of course it's a yes. To both of you."

"Stay," Hulk commanded softly, standing and retreating into the densely wooded area next to him. You slipped the ring over your finger and waited for his return once he had recovered from the transition that always took so much from him. When Bruce emerged, you ran to him and threw yourself in his arms, knocking you both to the ground in relieved and unrestrained laughter with a kiss that made the team turn away with a blush in their cheeks.

"I'm gonna be a fantastic best man," Tony smiled, leading the group back to the jet. "Oh, hell yes, I just realized," he stopped, slapping a hand on Steve's back, "you're going to be such a beautiful maid-of-honor, Cap."

"What? No, I'm sure she'll ask Nat. That's a bit far-fetched."

"I can't do it that day," Natasha retorted quickly.

"You don't even know the date-"

"Whatever day they choose, I can't," she interjected, "so it has to be you. Don't worry, I'm sure she'll pick a very flattering dress. I'll even help you shave."

Steve stopped and rested his hands on his hips, fully embarrassed and quickly learning that this was a conversation that he had no chance of winning when Clint and Tony began pointing at him and whispering to each other on the sidelines. "I shave all the time, Nat. I know what I'm doing."

"No, I meant your legs. The ankles are really tricky and you can't be all dolled up covered in band-aids." Steve's eyes widened in horror and his mouth hung open, staring at her wordlessly for a moment before turning away and hurrying towards the jet, but his teammate quickly gave chase. "Wait, I have some really great ideas for your make-up! I have a lipstick that would be the perfect color for you!"